The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-06-23
AN ANCIENT WITNESS.
THE HISTORIAN TABLET AND ITS
sIMPORTANT RECORDS.
I'm . Flourishing Condition
in China Over Twelve Centuries Ago.
The Church Obliterated % Completely
that Only One Memorial Of IL Remains.

The Church Obliterated % Completely
that Only One Memorial Of IL Remains.
The Rev. Evan Bryant, missionary
to China, in a letter to the London
Christian World, describes q witt to an
interesting memorial of Christian mis-
sions in that country over twelve centu-
ries ago. Writing from Tientsin he de-
scribes his search among ancient ruins
outside of the city.
"The ground is rough with stones and
bricks and glazed tiles, the debris of old
buildings; and the whole is covered
with rank grass, tall thistles and mot
ley crop of other weeds. Here is large,
prettily-carved pail, greatly resembling
. huge font in some Western cathedral,
but whose use was once to hold golden and
silvery fancy fish for the delectation of
Buddhist priests and their visitors at the
once flourishing Buddhist temple which
some time stood on these grounds. That
10 interesting, but 1t is not what want
to see. Yonder, to the north of us, there
are many high, broad, thick, black,
carved stone tablets resting on stone tor
toises; they are just in front of us; one
of them is incomplete, or broken--devoid
OF its headpiece-can 1t be that that 30
long to seer I rush toward it and soon
discover that its fallen headpiece is on
the ground at the foot of the slab-but
that 10 not the object of my search.
Once more I lift my eyes and look
around me, and move on to the several
tablets that stand yonder in a row, like
80 many soldiers at drill, and among
them, on my right, I descry the sought
for object. There 1t is, marked enough
among its companions, as the religion
1t silently witnesses for is marked
among all the religions Of the world.
What is itp A stone-high, broad, thick,
and black, like, and yet not like, its COM
rades; and on which is carved vast ar
ray of Chinese char acters, and not few
characters of another tongue, which
regret for the moment that do not know.
1t Is q stone-old, historical, instructive,
suggestive, heart-stirring, to the Christian
missionary at least, and, should think,
interesting to all Christians. 1t is stone
in which may be found sermons not
few, and lectures not unedifying. 1t is
the famous HISTORIAN tablet which COM
memorates the introduction into and
progress in China of Christianity by
HISTORIAN missionaries in the earlier cen.
turies of our era. That is the object l
have come to see, and for which l have
last, of not being able to find it there.
"The stone faces the SOUTH and is what
the natives call T'sing Shih, or granite.
1t was dug, like its companion stones,
from the hill which is situated little to
the south of the city. Its height is about
nine feet width three feet two inches and
ffo fhinHnaaa ohNrt to alovon inchQa
Its top is circular, and combination of
several incomplete figures, seemingly
dragons, forms a wide border all around
the upper part of the stone to the depth
of about two feet. These incomplete
figures are carved out of the stone, and
not cut in 1t, like the inscription that 10
on 1t. Within this figured border there
is q smooth space, the lower part of
which is, roughly speaking, a square,
whose two sides are extended in a con-
cave curve till they meet above the
square. In the angle formed by the
meeting of these two curved lines there
is pretty little cross, whose horns are
Of unequal length, and of few inches only
in extent, and cross at right angles.
These horns are formed of four lines
each, the upper and lower of which curve
outward q little toward their ends, and
are there Joined together by means of a
| straight line drawn across them. At the
end of each horn of the cross there Is a
set of three small circles, apparently rep
resenting three balls or globes. The
whole figure forms pretty little picture,
less, but to the eye of the Christian how
different! 1t is only a cross, neat, pretty,
and small; yet, the symbol of the great
est fact and mightiest force in the uni
verse, greater than which-nay, the equal
of which, is to us inconceivable.
Beneath that cross, and on the black
smooth space inclosed by the rough.
looking dragons, are carved three rows
of three large Chinese characters, which
comprise the title of the tablet and may
be translated thus: "A stone commemo'
rative of the propagation in China of the
Illustrious Religion of Syria Under.
meath this title, and covering nearly the
whole of the remainder of the stone, there
10 an extensive inscription well carved
and well preserved, most of which is II
Chinese though, at the bottom, there arr
added q few Syriac sentences, mingled
here and there with certain persona
names, chiefly of priests, in Chinese char
acters. On both sides of the stone, but mo-
on the back of it, there are more character
chiefly Syriac; and many, if not most Of
them are illegible. On the stone 1t Il
stated that 1t was ''erected in the q
year of Kien Chung of the Tang dynast.
t. o., A. D. 7S1), on the 7th day Of the 1s
month, being Sunday. Written by L,
Siu-yen, secretary to council, formerl!
military superintendent for Tai Chow
while the Bishop Ning-Shu had tn
charge of the congregations of tn
Illustrious in the East This monu
ment was discovered by a Roman Catholi
priest at 81 Ngan in A. D. 1926. 1t
authenticity was doubted at one time b,
some, but both these questions hav
long since been put to rest, and N
further room is left for doubt that 1t is
genuine and authentic record of the sue
cess of the HISTORIAN church in Shens
and other parts of China"
The inscription gives q statement o
Christian belief, somewhat quaintl
worded, and describes its introduction
into China.
"In the time of the accomplished EN-
peror Tai Tsung, the illustrious an
magnificent founder of the Tang dynasty
among the enlightened and holy me
who arrived was the Most Virtuois Ole
pun, from the country of Syria. Obsery
Ing the azure clouds, he bore the tru
sacred books; beholding the direction Q
the winds, he braved difficulties and dar
0ore Tn the vear A n RH5 he arrive